Thomas Gaitley

Artist Statement

I became a photographer during my sophomore year of college while majoring in geology when my father gave me his prized first camera: an Olympus OM-1. My love of photography, and scuba diving and my passion for earth sciences have been intertwined ever since. The images I create reflect this multi-disciplinary obsession with an emphasis on the patterns and textures of rocks and sediments and the boundaries between earth, water and light. These natural interactions have a powerful influence on my images.

My life has brought me to beautiful places in the world: living as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, trekking in remote areas of India, Nepal, New Zealand and Australia; extended road trips throughout North America; or working with clients across Europe. I’m grateful for these opportunities to experience the diversity of the world’s people, landscapes and animals.

I use composition, perspective, lighting and vantage points to isolate the elements of a scene and create a sense of depth and texture. I view photography as art and use an array of techniques and tools to remove distracting elements and to emphasize and enhance those most captivating.

I love the power, complexity and beauty of nature. When I am viewing a scene and trying to understand my emotional response -hoping to understand and isolate what drives my interest and attachment to it -I become a part of the moment that I am trying to capture. I do my best work when I am fully immersed in the process of planning, traveling to and experiencing the wonder of the environment around me. This often means spending long hours in the field -wet, cold and muddy but exhilarated. The fact that I produce some of my best work in these challenging conditions is fundamental to my art. My goal is to present fine art photographs that bring visual elements together into one consistent, honorable and uncompromising vision that conveys my feelings of the moment -when a vision is most familiar.